Medical Assistant Program
An important member of the health care team, the Medical Assistant helps patients
and providers in today’s medical clinics. From updating electronic medical records
and performing laboratory services to giving injections and assisting with procedures,
the medical assistant performs an essential role.
The Medical Assistant program at Columbia Basin College (CBC) prepares students to
work within a medical office with valuable skills in office administration as well
as clinical and patient care skills. Medical Assistants are commonly employed in outpatient
physician offices, clinics, health maintenance organizations and hospitals. The program
consists of three quarters of coursework followed by a 198-hour unpaid externship
with a local employer.
The Medical Assisting program at Columbia Basin College has a job placement rate of
96.77% (2018).

This program has a mandatory Medical Assistant information session requirement. Questions will be answered by an Advisor/Counselor or a program representative. Anyone interested in a CBC School of Health Sciences program should attend. These sessions are free and open to the public. Students, friends and family members are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Both CBC and the Medical Assistant program are independently accredited. CBC is accredited
through the premier regional accrediting body, Northwest Commission on Colleges and
Universities.
The Medical Assistant Certificate program is nationally accredited by the Commission
on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) upon the recommendation
of the Medical Assisting Education Review Board (MAERB).
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
9355 - 113th St. N, #7709
Weminole, FL 33775
727-210-2350
Only students completing a CAAHEP or an Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) accredited program are
eligible to become certified medical assistants.
To find other accredited Medical Assistant programs, see CAAHEP and ABHES.